The beginning of a new year, or a new semester even, often inspires collegiettes out there to get organized. It’s easy to let school, errands, and social lives get ahead of us sometimes, but tackling the disarray in life can do so much for our grades, time management, and stress! Choose whichever techniques to help get you most importantly organized this semester:
1.The Planner Photo Credit: Preppy Princess
There’s something about the infallibility of a physical planner that puts the organizer at ease. No matter how dodgy Wi-Fi may get in a college town, or in the face of a battery-dead smartphone or laptop, it’s never hurt anyone to have a physical schedule to fall back on. Luckily, there’s an amazing wave of adorable planners hitting the market. It would almost be naïve to say the vast majority of collegiettes haven’t already selected a crowd favorite in this genre: we’re talking Lilly.
Available in a range of sizes, colorful prints, binding types, and even adorable stickers (who outgrows stickers?) the $16-$33 Lilly Pulitzer agendas are typically two years in length and incredibly trendy around campus. Go ahead and pencil in your entire syllabi of due dates ahead of time, and add as you go. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
2. iCal and the equivalents Photo Credit: T-Gaap
It’s fairly obvious that Apple products are sweeping the nation, but even for the PCs and Droids out there, the e-calendar system has become a basic standard of computers and smartphones. These programs are especially useful because physical alarms and pop-ups can interrupt your leisurely Pinning and procrastinating when a deadline is approaching. I find that consistency is key to keeping a schedule, so basically every date that goes in my planner goes in my iCloud, too. This way, deadlines are hard to ignore. Another pro: It’s really not that much hard work to copy-and-paste an “event” like a particular class’ quiz complete with alarms and locations to all of the different times. Plus, you can make it repeat over the course of a semester!
Side note: Sometimes technology gets out of hand. Facebook has recently linked many users’ friends’ birthdays to their calendar apps. Do yourself a favor and disable that feature on Facebook’s settings — ain’t nobody got time for that.
3.Apps — Any.Do Photo Credit: Info Inspired
I know what you’re thinking: scheduling overload. However, as a former neurotic list-maker, the day-to-day to-do lists would massively clutter up my cute little notebook, and I don’t need notifications of my grocery list on my laptop. Any.Do is perfect for the smaller details, you can create personalized list categories and their due dates, or leave them there indefinitely. You can cross off completed items with a simple strike through of your finger. You can set alerts, daily reminders to plan the day, and a host of other easy-to-use features. Oh, and it’s free!
I recommend leaving this app out solo instead of hiding it away in an app folder. Due dates show up as notifications, which I hate seeing, and force myself to check more frequently! And for the Gators, UF Mobile compiles tons of need to know information including a real-time bus tracker, a GPS-enabled campus map with labeled buildings, and your own schedule imported straight from ISIS! This app is also free.
4. Wall Calendars/White Boards/Chalk Boards/Cork Boards/Sticky Notes
Just like planners, having a physical reminder is the best strategy for some people. These can also serve as great home or dorm decorations. However, they don’t match up to the on-the-go lifestyle of most collegiettes. The temptation factor for you and friends to erase important deadlines helps, too. So, get artsy! Who doesn’t love playing with markers? If you do decide to add a wall organizer, there are boundless varieties, especially for easy DIY projects. Framing, borders, crafting pushpins, and colored chalkboard paint are all easy to learn about from a quick Google search, so have fun with it!
($34.00 Framed Chalkboards, from ShugabeeLane at Etsy.com)
5. Bonus! The shortcuts to looking more organized without too much extra work
We can’t always remain in perfect harmony with our schedules, but there are a few tricks to playing it by ear. There’s a few ways to “fake it until you make it.”
- If nothing else, have the syllabus. Professors adore when students take a class seriously enough to look ahead. Earn some brownie points with ease by keeping them in your notebook. The same goes for maintaining a base knowledge of material.
- Keep your nail polish chip free. You don’t even have to have them polished, but be cohesive in whichever you choose. If you find yourself running late to an interview or asking for a deadline extension, small details like this exude the confidence and feeling that you are a little bit more… well-polished! No matter what people may say, appearance definitely affects perception. Keep the essentials like floss and a hairbrush with you as often as possible in an effort to make sure to put on a responsible face.
- Charge on. If a deadline sneaks up on you or an email needs to be resent, there’s nothing more stressful than an electronics’ dying battery. It’s also pretty important for safety on your nights out. Whenever you’re spending time near a plug, it really couldn’t hurt to keep charged.